Lawyers e-Journal

Thursday, Mar. 26, 2009

Court Advocacy Day next Tuesday

MBA and BBA ask attorneys to push for adequate court funding

The Massachusetts Bar Association and the Boston Bar Association will co-sponsor a Court Advocacy Day on Tuesday, March 31 beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Grand Staircase inside the Statehouse. The event will further underscore the need for adequate funding to sustain the critical needs of the Massachusetts Court System. Many of the state's county and specialty bar associations are actively participating in the lobbying effort.

Participants are encouraged to follow-up with their legislators to urge for $622.7 million, which will cover core court functions.

“I encourage all MBA members and other attorneys in the commonwealth to support this cause in urging our legislators to approve necessary funding for our courts,” said MBA President Edward W. McIntyre.

Featured speakers at the March 31 event include McIntyre, BBA President Kathy B. Weinman, Chief Justice for Administration and Management Robert A. Mulligan and Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall.

The event will take place a few weeks before the Massachusetts House of Representatives presents its version of the FY10 budget. Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposed budget announced in January included an additional 7.4 percent cut to the already slashed Trial Court budget, an amount that will have significantly negative consequences to the administration of justice for all citizens of Massachusetts.

“All Massachusetts citizens are entitled to an efficient, responsive court system. These material cuts to the Trial Court's budget imperil the core functions of the courts. They impede access to timely justice while jeopardizing the significant innovations the courts have made in the last six years,” McIntyre added.

The MBA organized a similar grass-roots lobbying effort during the budget crunch of the earlier part of the decade.

Attorneys interested in participating in the March 31 Court Advocacy Day should call MBA Member Services at (617) 338-0530 or click here.